Storage battery



Fetented Apr. lid, i923.

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srortnon Barrena.

To all civ/0m 'it may concern.'

lle it known that l, WILLIAM THoRrE, a.citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, N. Y., .have invented certain new and useful l'mproveinents'in Storage Batteries, of which the following is a specification. v This inrention relates to small storage hatteries and its object is to provide a compara tivelyY inexpensive 'storage battery Suitable for delivering small current .outputs hut having a large ampere-hour capacity for a given Weight ci' active material, 4a minimum amount of local action and a reasonablelcngt-h of life, that-s, cycles of charge and discharge, and a minimum amount of deterioration While standing idle. Also included in this invention is an improved method of filling;r the battery with Water or electrolyte and an improved method for theprevention of terminal corrosion.v v

l have herein described one embodimentV of my invention which is the best of which l am at presentadvised but this embodiment Z5 is used in' an illustratiif'e sense and not a' limiting one for obviously many embodiments can he devised which will be within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The chosen embodiment has been illus trated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 'l is a vertical section taken through my improved batter Figure 2 is an olie with a part cut away to show the interior construction and especially the filling tube;

Figure 3` is e. horizontal sectional View talacmalcug the lines 3 3 in Fig. 1.

The invention resolves itself into compom nent parts or features which may be referred to as units, plates, .complete cell, terminals, filling tube, and lvent and sealing. Theregore, a ilescriptionfwill be given under each- .-o'f'these headings as follows Um'tsr-The plates 11 of my invention are' made' up of a niunher of .units 12, through the center ci which a small strip of rod 13 fof lead or an alloy of antimouy and lead) used for conducting the current. st pis of the minimum dimensions suitable for carrying the required current and it may f any suitable shape, sowie. rouz'ui.y oh lorg'and twisted, etc., a square strip, ,lrovv ifation et my battery This ever, being shown in the drawing. ine ac` tive materiallll for the positive and negative '55 or discs of active material, a porous, inactive material 15 is molded .after the active materialhas set. The whole unit then takes the vform shown in Fig. 2 with a cube or disc of active material alternating with a cube or -disc of porous material and a lead rod running through the center of each.' The pur-. pose of the .porous material l5, is to strengthen thefunit and at the same timetc allow the electrolyte to come in contact With the top and bottom surfaces of the active material cubes or discs, thus giving a maximum current .capacity for a given Weight of active material. This porous material may consist of a mixture of plaster of Paris and powdered purnice stone applied in the form af a wet paste which `will 'afterwards set, or other equivalent material.

Pieten-The plates l1, both positive and negative, are made up of a number of thesev units 12 connected together at their tops by 80 lead strips 16 (forming continuations of the core strips 13) which are burned together.' Before connecting the units together to make the plate 12, `the lead strip 13 of each unit is passed through the holes 17 in the plate 85 holder cover 1 8. After the units are connected together to form the plate 1.1, they are placed in the plate holder 19. The plate holder llljmay be made of some insulating acid resisting material such as hard rubber.

The u )rights 20 of the plate holder and cross pieces' 2l hold the units 12 of the plate 11 in place and. prevent them from warping. The plate holder being of an insulating material', takes' the place of the usual separator'. 95 Complete cell- Before the plate groups are placed in the .jar or battery casing 2Q, the terminal lead strips of each group are lead-burned at 25 to the cell terminals 26.

The plate groups are then placed inthe jar, '100 und the electrolyte added, this being in the form of a very Wet paste which may consist ci pewdered pumice stone, plaster oiC ParisV and sulphuric acid ot about 1.250 specific a soiution of silicate et soda and surphurie it-for other equivalent material such as 10 v acid. After the electrolyte is poured into the jar, thespace 28 provided between the top of the plates and the jar cover 27may be filled with some inactive porous material such, for'instance as sponge sott rubber, thus providing a suitable expansion space for the electrolyte and and also preventing the 'paste electrolytefrom .flowing away from the plates when the cell is placed on its side or turned upside down.`

Terricciola-The terminals 26 are of special construction to vprevent the electrolyte creeping up` onto and corroding any brass or copper connections Imade to the cell. The terminal' may be made of a leadantimony alloy and vis preferably 'constructed as shown. A cup part 29 is filled with an ,acid resisting material such as petroleum jelly or petroleum' jelly 'combined with a strong alkali. The terminals are passed through holes in'the jar cover 27 aiid a nut 30 is screwed dow-n on the`ter minal screw 3l to4 meet the cover 2T.` The -nut' 30 is in the form of an inverted cup also filled with the acid resisting material similar to that used on the cup-part 29. To make a tight fit and to keep the petroleum jellyin 'place around the terminal, asoft rubber washer 31 is placed on the cups as shown. .This method of sealing the terminals is notconned to this particular type A of cell, but is applicable to any storage batin Fig. 3. The filling tube is raiseda shortv '.trolyte to replace that lost by evaporation I tery terminal. The screw part of the termi nal may be made of brass or other equivalent material embedded vinfair antimony lead cup where a stronger terminal is required. Suitable nuts are provided. -at the top of the terminal for making wire connec tions to the cell.

Filling' tuba-A filling tube 32 is pro-- -vided as shown in'Fig. 2 which may be made of hard rubber, glass or other acid resisting material. In order to allow space in the cell for this tube, one unit is omitted in one-of the end negative plates'as shown distance above the bottom of the cell'and the bottom of the tube is illed with a porous inactive material-33 similar to the'material 4 28 above the plates in the expansion space.

This is preferably sponge rubber. The material 33 enters the filling tube 32 a short distance and that portion thereof extending out of the tube is larger in diameter than 't'he tube. One of lthe defects of the present solid"acid storage batteries vis that the paste electrolyte gradually dries out. By using a filling tube as Aabove described, water may be'added from time to time and it will gradually'. 'seep intothe paste elecand gassing. As an obstruction is placed in y the bottom of the tube (soft sponge rubber 33) it will take considerable time to seep through \"\\the bottom of the tube. Thismethod therefore prevents too much Water being added to fill up the expansion space and come out through the .ventl tube 34;. The sponge rubber 33at the bottom ofthe tube also prevents the pastev electrolyte from filling the tube. The filling tube is lprovided with a suitable cap or plug 35; I Vent md sealing-ln order to allow any 'gas formed tol escape from the cell, a small cubes ordiscs, the plate will vwarp very little.

, As the lead strip through the center of the unit is of a minimum size to conduct' the current required, the customary heavy grid is done away with, thus cutting down the weight of the plate, and also resulting in a minimum amount of local action be'- tween the metallic lead active material. f

As theplate holder is made ofan insu- 4in the. plate and the lating, acidresisting material, no separators are required between the negative plates. -v

As a large Aexpansion space is provi ded aboveA the plates whereinthe sponge rubber will hold the solid part of the electrolyte in positive and place, the electrolyte can'contain more-liquid .than is usual in thecase of storage cells' ot tl'iesolid acid type, thus increasing the ampere hour capacity of the cell.

matically measures the amountof liquid added, too mucl-i liquid cannot be added, so there is never any leakage through the vent.'

Acid creepage up the terminals is vented. p As the plates are made 4up inthe forni of units, it will not be necessaryv for the manufacturer to keep various sizes of plates instock because different-sizes of plates can be made up .quickly by assemblingr different numbers of units to make up the various ysizes required. Therefore, the unitslfonly need be kept in stock.

What claim is: A I v1. In a storage battery, automatic means vwithin the'battery for measuring the water.

added to. the battery vcomprising a fillingA tube 'in the battery andliquid absorbing.

means iii the tube. A

2. The device of claim-l with the addi-l As a illingtube is provided which autoy inA tion of liquid flow '.leterding Ineens yin the and means in said chamber for holding the tube. solid part of the electrolyte in place Where l@ 3. The device of claim 1 with the addithe electrolyte can contain more .than the tion of sponge ubber in the tube. usual amount of liquid.

5 4. ln a storage battery, a jar, plates in In testimony whereof I have aflxed my the jar, partly solidI and partly liquid elesignature to thisspecification. trolyte surrounding said plates, an expan'-l sion chamber in said jar above said plates, WILLIAM H. THORPE. 

